Watch: Islam Makhachev physically struggles during back breaking weight cut regime for UFC Vegas 31
Islam Makhachev had a grueling weight-cutting process for his upcoming fight against Thiago Moises at UFC Vegas 31.
After cutting almost nine pounds in the span of 12 hours, the Dagestani fighter looked visibly exhausted, struggling to stand up straight on his own, which is a common occurrence for MMA fighters who undergo a tough weight cut.
On Thursday night, Makhachev had a sparring session with Umar Nurmagomedov. He then did a cardio workout and used towels to shed excessive weight.
The 29-year-old woke up early on the day of the event's weigh-ins with almost four more pounds to cut. Following a tiring workout while wearing a sweat suit, Makhachev was escorted to the portable sauna, where he lost a good amount of sweat.
After a massage session, Makhachev finally stepped on the weighing machine and successfully made weight. The #9-ranked UFC lightweight stepped on the scales and weighed in at 155.5 pounds. Although Makhachev was extremely exhausted, Khabib Nurmagomedov claimed it was his best weight cut to date.
While hitting the upper limit mark of 156 pounds has never been easy for Makhachev, the 19-1 fighter hasn’t yet failed to make weight.
Makhachev’s weight cut regime was uploaded to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s YouTube channel, which you can watch below:
Islam Makhachev wants to capture the UFC lightweight title in 2022
Islam Makhachev will take on Thiago Moises in the main event of UFC Vegas 31 later today. If he manages to get the better of the Brazilian, Makhachev believes a win in his next fight will be enough to earn him a title shot.
“I have a couple of steps maybe. Two more fights, this one (against Moises) and one more, then at the beginning of 2022, I’m going to fight for the title,” Makhachev told TMZ Sports.
According to Khabib Nurmagomedov, his longtime friend will most likely dethrone Dustin Poirier, who he thinks will win the belt from Charles Oliveira, to become the new UFC lightweight champion.
Islam Makhachev made his UFC debut in 2015. After a successful promotional debut, he was knocked out by Adriano Martins in his second fight.
Since then, Islam Makhachev has been on a tear in the 155-pound division and has racked up seven consecutive wins, most recently against Drew Dober at UFC 259.